ROCKLEDGE, Fla. – Some of the best young athletes are headed to Iowa next week for the Junior Olympics, including a fencing phenom from Orange County.
Arianna Choi won gold at the games last year and she’s intent on defending her title.
“You have this feeling in your heart that you have to keep doing it until you succeed your achievement,” Choi said.
News 6 met Choi at Space Coast Olympic Fencing in Rockledge. It’s where she’s been training for the last two years.
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“When I came across this guy, and I was holding my blade and he was like, ‘You’re going poke everyone,’ I said, ‘Of course. I’m a fencer,’” said Choi, reflecting on her first time trying out fencing.
And Choi is not just a good fencer—she’s very good. She is actually the top-ranked 9-year-old fencer in the country.
“She’s a typical 9-year-old girl,” said Charlie Williams, one of Choi’s coaches. “She likes dolls and plays with kids and laughs and does cartwheels. But when she steps on to the strip to compete, it’s like a light switch. She changes like the Incredible Hulk.”
Choi hasn’t lost since last July and boasts a winning streak of more than 100 consecutive matches.
“I knew from the get-go that she was talented,” said Daniel Bucur, Choi’s fencing maestro. “She’s a unique talent.”
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